I had signed the contract for my first novel Voice of Innocence and was standing in the shower one summer day. Between the shampooing and the rinsing process, the idea for Without You came to me.

Fast forward to the next summer. Again, I found myself in the shower, perhaps conditioning this time. As the steam filled my lungs, the character of Charlotte came to me. I imagined her to be a mixture between my own late grandmother—who was obsessed with bingo and cats—and a spunky Betty White. She loved yellow and, despite her age, was super outgoing.

From there, the idea to write about Charlotte as well as her daughter and granddaughter came to me. I always write in multiple perspectives, but usually only two. Why not three?Then Comes Lovewas born.

From the beginning, I knew this book would be different. I wanted it to have the same realism I pride myself on, but I also wanted there to be a touch of humor. If you’ve ever spent time with the elderly or in some sort of community for the elderly, you know humor is definitely a part of the life. My grandfather is currently ninety-three…and we have had many humorous moments with him. Life in an assisted living center, a retirement community, or even a nursing home can be a crazy experience.I wanted to focus on that.

I also wanted to focus on the idea of identity and loss. My characters in this book are thirty-two, fifty, and eighty, but all three are struggling with figuring out who they are at their respective life stage. So often, we believe that by a certain age, our lives become solidified. We expect a smooth sailing, routine path. This is often not the case. No matter how old you are, you will face doubts, changes, and struggles to figure out what you want. My three characters experience all of these feelings.

Finally, I’ve written a lot about first loves. This is probably because I married my first love.

I have absolutely no experience with second loves.

So that was why I wanted to write about second loves.

I have friends and loved ones who have had second loves. I’ve heard about the conflicting emotions, the complications in opening your heart again. Whether you lost your first love by choice, by death, or by other circumstances, moving on to a second love brings its own set of complications. I wanted to highlight that second love is sometimes more difficult than first loves…but also sometimes more beautiful.

Voice of Innocence was my pipe dream, the book I thought would never get published.

Without You was my confidence booster. It allowed me to see that I could really do it again.

Then Comes Love is the book I’ve always wanted to write.

Thanks to Hot Tree Publishing, I will now get to share it with you. I cannot wait to share these characters with you. Don’t tell my other books, but this one is truly my absolute favorite.​Check out my Facebook page to stay up to date on cover reveals, contests, and release information.